Just audio on the internet, a radio programme on the web? Well not quite. Something quiet more exciting really! Podcasting allows you to ‘subscribe’ to the programmes you like - for instance if you like that highly praised and informative weekly life-comedy Letter to America, (LTA), you can subscribe to it and receive each episode automatically as soon as it’s ready!

You don’t need an iPod to listen to podcasts, any MP3 Player or PC with speakers will do. Once you find a podcast you like, you can listen to one episode at a time or subscribe to the entire series. If you subscribe to LTA, for example, you’ll be able to listen to the current episode, receive all future episodes and download all the previous shows. The same is true for most podcasts.

Sounds complicated? Not really: there’s a whole host of applications, or programmes, like Apples iTunes, that will help you subscribe to and manage your favourite shows. Click on the ‘Subscribe to the Podcast’ link up above to learn more. Once you get in the habit of receiving the shows you want, when you want them, you’ll find the idea of TV and Radio, where you have to wait till a specific time for a programme, just a wee bit old-fashioned!

Ok, you’ve almost sold me you say, but much as I love your witty banter on LTA I need more. Is there a podcast out there for me? You betcha! There are tens of thousands of podcasts online with more being added every day. You can subscribe to podcasts on philosophy, movies, policing techniques in the United States (by cops for cops), and Ukrainian book reviews. There’s something for everybody! And if you ever get tired of listening - remember it’s easy to make podcasts as well!

Subscribe to LTA

Click on the movie below to see it all explained with lots of big words and frantic gestures.